PM NEPAL, PRACHANDA MEET

Kathmandu, 5 Jan.: Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal and Maoist Chariman Prachanda held discussions Wednesday the prime minister’s office in Singha Durbar and discussed current issues
The prime minister sought Maoist help to bring former Maoist combatants under UNMIN watch under a special committee headed by the government chief as UN prepares to withdraw from Nepal by 15 January.
Nepal held discussions earlier with Dr. Baburam Bhattarai.
Meanwhile, a meeting of the special committee to be held Wednesday was rescheduled on Maoist request.
Maoist member of the special committee Barsha Man Pun said he won’t be able to attend as he was visiting India.
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28 PARTIES ENDORSE REPORT OF COSTITUTIONAL COMMITTEE

Kathmandu, 5 Jan. Twenty-eight parties in the constituent assembly (CA) Wednesday endorsed a report of the constituent committee of the CA.
A task force headed by Maoist Chairman Prachanda had earlier discussed differences in the committee.
The parties have taken over responsibility from the body headed by Prachanda to remove or narrow differences in a proposed constitution thathas to be promulgated by 28 March 2011 as time runs out.
The parties will now take up 83 contentious issues.
Parties Tuesday endorsed contentions issues covered by three thematic committees.
Reports of fundamental rights and directive principles of state policy committee, national interest preservation committee and committee for determining base of cultural and social solidarity were endorsed Tuesday
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RESIGNATION A HISTORIC MISTAKE


Kathmandu, 5 Jan. Government Spokesman and Communication Minister Shanker Pokhrel said Wednesday it was a ’historic mistake’ for the government to resign even as it had a majority support of 22 parties.
He blamed Maoist intransigence for current political deadlock.
Pokhrel said aid this in Hetauda Wednesday.
Caretaker Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal continues in office even after resigning more than six months ago under Maoist pressure.
Sixteen rounds of voting in parliament have been inconclusive.
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NO MASS TRAINING OF DIPLOMATS IN INDIA

Kathmandu, 5 Jan.: Parliament’s international relations and human rights committee Tuesday rules 28 new recruits in the foreign ministry
shouldn’t be sent in a group for basic training in India.
The ministry recruited trainees, including women, four months ago in a bid o expand foreign service.
“The foreign ministry, without assessing need and relevance, was sending recruits for training by emptying the ministry,” said committee Chairman Padma Lal Bishwakarma.
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SAARC FOREIGN MINISTERS’ MEET

Kathmandu, 5 Jan. A meeting of SAARC foreign ministers will be
held in Thimpu 8, 9 February.
The meeting will discuss implementing the decisions of the 16th regional summit.
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UML CENTRAL COMMITTEE MEETS SUNDAY

Kathmandu, 5 Jan.: The 6th meeting of UML central committee begins in the capital Sunday, party mouthpiece Budhabar reports.
The meeting will discuss remaining agenda that wasn’t discussed in the last committee meeting.
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MAOISTS AGAINST ARMS HANDOVER

Kathmandu, 5 Jan.: The UCPN (Maoist) on Tuesday sent a second missive strongly objecting to the government request for transfer of UNMIN assets along with arms and ammunition of the Maoist combatants cantoned in seven different camps under UN supervision, The Kathmandu Post reports.

The second Maoist letter comes after the contents of the government letter sent on Friday to the world body became public. The government is keen to replicate UNMIN’s core competencies through the Special Committee for supervision, integration and rehabilitation of Maoist combatants. In the letter, the Maoists have warned that the government move will seriously violate the Interim Constitution, Comprehensive Peace Accord (CPA) and Agreement on Monitoring of the Management of the Arms (AMMA) and jeopardise the peace process.

“The government’s logic to replace UNMIN by the Special Committee contravenes all past agreements. We express serious concern over the government’s demand to hand over the containers of the arms and ammunition of Maoist combatants to the Special Committee. We humbly ask UNMIN not to hand these over without prior agreement among political parties,” quoting the letter, Maoist leader

and Deputy Commander of ‘PLA’ Barsha Man Pun told the Post.

In the letter to outgoing UNMIN Chief Karin Landgren, UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal has said that none of the past accords allowed the Special Committee to substitute UNMIN and that UNMIN needs to stay to until the remaining portion of the peace process is completed. “We sense a serious conspiracy against us and the entire peace process,” said Pun.

Chairman Dahal also strongly opposed excluding the monitoring of Nepal Army from the purview of any mechanism, said Pun. “It is again against past accords. The monitoring of both armies should be continued,” the letter reads. “Adhering to past accords like CPA, Interim Constitution, AMMA which are fundamental to the ongoing peace process, every decision should be taken on a mutual basis and not a unilateral one,” wrote Dahal. The government move could unravel the peace process, Maoist Vice Chairman Narayan Kaji Shrestha said.

“We call upon UNMIN and the Security Council not to take any decision in haste. Without a specific agreement on the alternative to f UNMIN, we will not accept any default conditions,” said Shrestha.
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DABAR NEPAL OFFICIALS AT CIAA
Kathmandu, 5 Jan.: Top officials of Dabur Nepal Pvt. Ltd. have conceded their mistake in stamping false manufacturing dates on the company’s fruit product, Real Active. During an interrogation by the CIAA investigation team, Dabur Chief Executive Officer Udayan Ganguly and Production Head Indranil Gupta admitted to their mistake, which according to them occurred due to miscommunication among company’s staff. “They admitted their mistake in stamping false manufacturing dates,” a CIAA official told the Post, Bhadra Sharma reports in The Kathmandu Post.

Two weeks ago, a CIAA team had sealed 74,000 cartons of Real Active juice worth Rs. 80 million after finding that the company distributed fruit juice manufactured in Nov. 2010 with a Jan. 2011 inscription. “That was a mistake on the part of our company. And, the staff involved in this mistake were suspended immediately,” a CIAA official quoted CEO Ganguly as saying.

During the grilling, Ganguly said he had directed the production chief to imprint the December as the manufacturing date but mistakenly January was stamped as the manufacturing date. “We have issued internal directives to correct that mistake,” Gupta reportedly said.

Investigation chief Sameer Silwal said the interrogation is not over as serious questions about tax evasion and quality test of the Real fruit juice have not been addressed. CIAA is preparing to quiz Parsa Inland Revenue chief before ending the interrogation.

Meanwhile, the Department of Food Technology and Quality Control submitted its quality test report to the anti-graft body. Department officials said no discrepancies were seen in sample tests in terms of quality standards.
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MOVE AFOOT TO HIKE WILDLIFE PERMIT COST


Kathmandu, 5 Jan.: All those bitten by the wildlife bug will have to shell out more to gain entry into the national parks and conserved areas, if the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation has its way, Ramesh Prasad Bhushal writes in The Hmalayan Times.

The fee structure has not seen any change for last 15 years. “The present structure is nominal. A proposal to hike the fees has been sent to the ministry,” said Maheshwor Dhakal, under secretary, DNPWC.

The new fee structure was proposed considering the flow of tourists in specific national parks and wildlife sanctuaries. The hike in fee to gain entry into Sagarmatha and Langtang national parks is more than other national parks as the tourist flow is concentrated in those parks while other parks, including Rara and Khaptad, attract fewer tourists.

“The idea is to lower the concentration in some national parks and increase tourists in the parks where the flow less,” added Dhakal.

At present domestic tourists have to pay Rs 20, SAARC tourists Rs 200 and others Rs 500 to enter Chitwan National Park. After the proposed hike Nepalis will have to shell out Rs 100, SAARC nationals Rs 600 and others Rs 1,500. For Bardiya, Shuklaphanta and Parsa, Nepalis will have to pay only Rs 50, SAARC nationals Rs 500 and others Rs 1,000 to get into the sanctuaries following the hike.

“Chitwan is overwhelmed with tourists. But Bardiya and Shuklaphanta lack tourists. There is a need for a strategy to ensure even distribution of tourists,” added Dhakal.

Sagarmatha National Park permit costs Rs 1,000. But after the proposed hike, foreigners will have to part with Rs 3,000.

The department stated that park management had become costlier and more funds were needed for the conservation of flora and fauna. “There have been lots of changes in the last one-and-a-half decades but the parks are charging the same nominal fees. There is alternative but to hike the fees,” said Krishna Prasad Acharya, Director General, DNPWC.

However, tourism entrepreneurs are against the government’s plan and have been claiming that the move will have a negative impact in the tourism year. “Tourism industry will have to alter package costs at the last hour, as we have already advertised keeping in view the present fee structure,” said Suman Pandey, Director, Explore Himalaya Tours and Travel.

But Acharya asserted that national park fees will not hamper tourist packages as the maximum hike in the entrance fee is not even 30 dollars. “Those coming from abroad will not change their plans for such a small amount. With a hike in entrance fees facilities will also improve,” claimed Acharya.
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